The Fall of Fray
by Hermiju
Summary: "She is going to die and all they can do is watch." AU. T because of torture and blood. Rating might grow.
1. Chapter 1

**This is what happens when I watch The Dark Knight and Under the Red Hood at the same night :| And, yes, before you comment, I know Kronos sounds a lot like the Joker(I blame Batman). This is my first multi-chapter story in english :)**

**The Fall of Fray is a bit RP based but is more of an AU created by my crazy mind. I hope you all enjoy.**

**And also I wanted to thank Pedro aka 12ofHermes for being my beta. HAPPY BIRTHDAY PEDRO :D**

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><p>When she comes to, the first thing Juliet notices is the strong smell of gasoline. It's hanging in the air around her, a thick cloud that cloud her throat and makes her cough with each inhale. The stench is potent enough that makes her head spin, and though she starts to adjust to it after a minute or so, her headache remains. The second thing she notices is that she's been tied to a chair. Her hands are bound behind the back of it, ankles secured to the chair legs. She twists her wrists experimentally, finding that the knots are unyielding. The ropes are coarse and painful against her bare skin; her boots and gloves are missing, as is the familiar weight of her sword on her belt and the dagger tied to her leg.<p>

Tentatively, Juliet opens one eye, glancing around herself briefly. From what she can tell, she's in some sort of warehouse, surrounded by what appear to be oil barrels. It's dark, save for a few emergency lights hanging high above her. There's no exit in sight. Letting her eye fall shut again, she listens intently. Faintly, she can hear the monotonous blare of a passing freight barge.

A warehouse near one if the rivers, then. She can't be sure if it's East or Hudson, but judging from the neglected state of this building, she assumes it's the former. The fact that she clearly hasn't been brought here for virtuous reasons only helps validate that conclusion.

She was no way of knowing how long she's been unconscious. The last thing she remembers is following on the tip-off about the enemies whereabouts, tracking them to the joint of the old part of the city. The pursuit through the derelict alleys, chasing the hooded figure through dirty, winding paths filled with trash and vagrants. Cornering one of the traitors - grabbing the boy by the shoulders and turning and it isn't the boy she was looking for at all but she's seen this guy before, she knows that face, that grin, that scar -

(So sorry, dear, were you expecting someone else?)

His scar twitches when his lips form a terrible grin. The blinding pain of the crowbar smashing her across the face. Nightmarish and ancient laughter as the world starts to fade around her.

Everything after that is black.

Try as she might, she can't figure out what time is it, whether hours or days have passed. The windows are covered with suck thick layer of grime that she can't tell whether it's day or night. She wonders if enough time passed that the camp will have noticed she's missing; and if they haven't, Percy and Nico will have by now. At least, she hopes so. She hadn't told anyone where she was going, if only she didn't want them to interfere - or worse, try to stop her.  
>She needs to escape, and quickly. Now that she's realized who her captor is, it's difficult to keep the panic at bay. Fear is beginning to course through her, paralyzingly and incessant, and it's all she can do to keep her breathing relaxed to keep up the appearance of unconsciousness. She knows what this man, she didn't knew if it was possible to call him a man, but she did it anyway, it's capable of; she has seen his 'crimes', heard the others tell the horrors he'd witnessed, the hundreds she'd seen die by that "man's" hand - people she'd been close with, people she'd loved.<p>

People she hadn't been able to save.

Against her better judgment, Juliet risks opening her eyes again. There has to be an exit somewhere. As long as she can locate one and plan her path, she's sure she'll make it. The ropes won't be a problem, she's know those escape techniques for a long time, they gave classes about escapism at camp. It's just a matter of doing this before-

"Well, well, what do we have here? The foolish girl, back in a cage."

The ancient voice is singsong and chilling, sending a shiver up her spine. Her head snaps up before she can't help it, and she lets out a low groan as black spots erupt across her vision. The crowbar must have done more damage then she first thought

"So you're the infamous sister I've hearing so much about." the voice is closer now, barely a few feet in front of her. Her vision clears after another moment, and she's able to make them look like the gaping black holes of a skull - but she can feels the "man's" gaze on her.

"It's a shame Jackson isn't here to introduce us. Quite rude of him, if you ask me." the "man" continues. "Did you know I had to kiddnap someone to just meet his affection? Her name was... What was her name? Jannet? Julie?"

"Julia." Juliet spits out before she can help it, it's because while she'd never met the girl, she sees the pain in Percy's eyes on the rare occasions she's mentioned. It's stark and haunting pain, the kind that will never fade, the fact that this madman can't even remember the girls name infuriates her. "Her name was Julia."

"Oh, that's right. Julia, she had a lot of fight in her, that girl." a shrill laugh follows, and then the man steps further in the light. The memories flash on Juliet's mind, she had never truly faced that man until now. She fought against his armies, against even the soul that was now lost as the Titan lived on that body. Luke Castellan was no longer there, no sly grin, no warm smile. His bright blue eyes exchanged with the bright gold. On his second come back on the 21st century, he made it back more crazy. More psychotic.

"Well, let's not dwell on the past!" the 'man' exclaims, bending down so that his eye-level with the girl, palms braced on her knees. From this close, Juliet can see on the details of the scar that runs down his left eye. The 'man' laughs at this before sticking out a hand. "I'm Kronos, titan of time, ruler of the other Titans, father of the Big Three and blah... And believe me when I have to say that it's a pleasure to meet you, dear grandchild."

Juliet doesn't hesitate before spitting in the outstretched hand. She tenses, prepared for Kronos to hit her in retaliation, but instead the man simply looks at the spittle on his fingers and grins, and in some ways that hurts more then any physical blow could. Those golden eyes flicker back up to hers, and the grin stretches.

"You're a little feisty thing yourself aren't you?" Kronos says quietly, and his voice is brimming with anticipation. His smiles grows more. "I like that."

Juliet's blood runs cold.

Kronos steps back swiftly, making his way to the other chair that's standing off to the side. He shucks off his jacket, draping it over the back of the chair. As he rolls back the sleeves of his shirt, he addresses Juliet again, fussing busily with his cuff links. "Now that the introductions are over, we can't waste any time getting it started! Knowing Jackson won't be far away, and we don't want him do interrupting this, do we?"

"He's not the only one who'll be looking for me." Juliet says. She knows it's pointless, that threats won't deter this man in the slightest, but she has to try. "The others are coming, too, and they-,"

"I wouldn't worry about them." Kronos laugh still creeps her out. "They're going to be a bit busy."

A shout of rage leaves Juliet, but before she can say anything, Kronos waves his free hand dismissively. "No need to fret, darling, I haven't done anything to them. I'm just planing to send them a message." another creepy grins is forms in his lips.

"What do you want?" Juliet demands.

Kronos reaches out, patting her cheek sympathetically. Juliet grits her teeth, resisting the urge to turn her head and bite his fingers. "This isn't about you, Fray. This is between me and Jackson. You, dear, got caught in the crossfire."

The hand slips away, the cold metal of the crowbar replacing it, as if Kronos's lining up his shot. Juliet swallows and meets that golden gaze. "He won't fall for it."

A soft chuckle escapes Kronos at first. The crowbar is removed from her cheek again, and for a second Juliet thinks it's because Kronos is drawing back to swing. But then again that familiar face reappears in her line of vision, and as their gazes lock, Juliet can't breath.

The crazed glint has vanished from the titan's eyes. In it's place is a cold, calculating look - the look of a men who's in control, a man who knows exactly what's he's doing. This is no rabid dog; this is a mad, angry dog that knows who to bite and how to bite. And in many ways, that's more dangerous by far.

"But see, that's where you are wrong" Kronos says, and his voice is just as composed. He reaches out, gripping Juliet by the chin. "Jackson will fall for it. And do you want to know why he'll fall for it?"

Kronos moves to the side, and it's then that Juliet noticed the blinking red light coming from the shadows directly in front of her. She knows what is it instantly, and her stomach sinks.

A video camera.

"He won't be able to resist after seeing your performance." Kronos exclaims, letting go of Juliet's chin roughly. He moves to stand behind the chair, his hands coming to rest on the girl's shoulders with the crowbar braced between them. The metal digs into Juliet's throat, just enough to make it difficult to breath but not enough to suffocate her entirely.

"Now, without further adieu, let's get this started." Kronos says. His voice filled with a triumphant glee and it's all Juliet needs to know that she isn't going to escape alive.

Then, Kronos addresses the camera.

"Good evening, Camp Half-Blood."


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you so much for the favs! Seriously I had no idea I could get over six favorites on one night! **

**Well, this is the part where some of you will probably get annoyed. The most hated ship of them all(at least I think) the classic Nico/Original Character. If you don't like it, ignore it, that ship isn't a big part of the story anyways :P**

**I'm only posting this today because my lovely little owl(I'm looking right at you Five :B) asked me to do so. I hope you like this chapter, dear cousin. **

**ENJOY YOU ALL **

**and before you comment, remember that this is an AU, if it's not like the books just go with it and some characters are probably OOC, i just ask you to don't flame me because of that.**

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><p>"I don't get it, this is totally pointless!"<p>

Four heads turn to look at Nico as the Son of Hades' voice breaks the relative silence of the living room. He's been pacing angrily back and forth in front of the television screen for the past twenty-three minutes.

"Oh yeah?" Thalia prompts, "And whet should we be doing instead?" She's sitting near the kitchen, her back to them as she cleans the array of arrows laid out on the granite in front of her. Despise how apathetic she sounds, the set of her shoulders and her tense, jerky movements are enough to show that she's just as on the edge as Nico.

The son of Hades gapes at her openly before glowering. "Well, I don't know, how about _actually looking for her_ instead of sitting here doing _nothing_-!"  
>As Nico starts to yell, Annabeth takes that cue to interrupt. "We have direct orders from the gods to stay here." she says, pushing away from the wall and walking further into the living room. Piper looks up as she approaches the couch where she's sitting next to Jason. The son of Jupiter's temper seems to be in only slightly better control then Nico's - there's a fine tremble running through him, and Annabeth has no doubt that he'd be tearing NY apart in the search of Juliet if it wasn't for Piper's calming hand on his arm.<p>

Nico rounds on her this time, expression absolutely livid. "_Forget_ the order! Juliet's missing and like hell if I'm not going to try to find her!"

Before Annabeth can say anything, Thalia pipes in. "Yeah, right, like you'd even know here to look! Or do you actually think you know NY better than Percy? Who lived there his whole life!"

"That's not the point!" Nico shoots back, fists clenching in his sides. "Besides, it doesn't matter, I could search all Manhattan in the time it'd take him to search a block!"

Piper is glancing between the two warily, with Jason's gaze remains focused on the television for no reason.

Thalia scoffs, swiveling on her spot to regard the son of Hades coldly. "And if you found her? What then?" she snaps. Her indifferent demeanor is starting to slip, frustration and anger leaking into her voice.

Nico doesn't answer, gritting his teeth instead, and so Annabeth steps in once more. "Thalia is right. Even if we managed to locate Juliet, there isn't anything more we would be able to do," she says. It's a struggle to keep her voice calm and. neutral as possible when her own frustration is threatening to overwhelm her. Knowing that the most vulnerable of them, just because she always refused to wear an armor in battle, is missing and they have no way of helping is unbearable.

She sighs and crosses her arms. "The Gods wouldn't have ordered us to stay behind if they didn't think it was absolutely necessary. If we interfered, it would only make it worse." she continues, keeping her eyes on the ground because none of them can stand to look at each other right now - the self-deprecating atmosphere on the room is almost palpable.

"But- we can't just- Annabeth, it's _Juliet_," Nico says adamantly, and now the anger is gone and he's desperate. "Not some random other camper. _Juliet._ We have to do something!"

Annabeth doesn't know what to say to that, because Nico's all but begging her, and it's all she can do to not give in. They've done rescue missions before, all of them- but never for someone so close to them all. It would be easy, having all their training.

Piper's voice interrupts her planning, and she looks at her. "I know what you're thinking," she says with an apologetic smile that quickly fades into a more serious expression, "but we can't Annabeth. They want us here because if we go, the scenario might grow worst. Kronos is dangerous. And from what it sounds like, going to find Juliet on our own would be exactly what he wants."

"We'd be playing right into his hands," Thalia mutters, and then she's shoving herself off the barstool with a growl of rage. She storms over to the couch and sits next to Piper, leading forward and pressing her face into her hands. Piper places her free hand on the huntress' back, rubbing it comfortingly. Thalia barely reacts other than digging her fingers into her scalp a little less viciously.

Annabeth looks back to Nico. The son of Hades seems lost, torn between a spectrum of emotions, and for a minute or two he doesn't move. It strikes her that she's never seen Nico stay still for such an extended amount of time, but then Nico's pivoting on his heel and slamming a fist into the wall, shouting with fury and distress and self-loathing.

The impact barely leaves a dent, but Nico seems satisfied enough. He slowly lowers his fist and stalks to one of the vacant armchairs, collapsing into it ungracefully. He immediately starts drumming on the armrests, hyperative.

All at once, Annabeth feels drained and exhausted. She's crossing the room to the other armchair when Jason straightens up, suddenly rigid and attentive.

"Look" he demands, sounding both hopeful and apprehensive at the same time.

Annabeth follows the gaze to the television. Which was suddenly on, with image of a empty warehouse. She sees Piper and Thalia exchange a glance out of the corner of his eye. Piper is biting her lip and they both look worried, and abruptly she's praying that this isn't somehow connected to Juliet, that it's just a coincidence, because whatever this is, it can't be good. The feeling is so strong that it's difficult to breathe. She forces herself to calm down, but it's nearly out of question with Jason grinding his teeth next to her and Nico so still that it was hard to see if he was really breathing.

"_Good evening, Camp Half-Blood!_" the titan exclaims."_I present you, Juliet Fray!_"

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><p><strong>Next chapter: Shit gets real. <strong>

**Am I worthy of your reviews?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Wow.**

**Two chapters in one night. **

**I know I'm shocked too ;P**

**This chapter is for my friend 10, who asked me to post it now :D**

**I do not own Percy Jackson, otherwise Juliet would be a real character not an OC. **

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><p>Nico is leading forward in his chair, hands clutching at the armrests. There's something akin to horror on his face, one that's echoed in the rest of their expressions as well. Annabeth is still having trouble breathing properly; she finds that she can't tear her eyes away from the screen, watching the bar against Juliet's throat is jerked upwards, causing the girl to gag and gasp for air.<p>

She had know that Juliet going missing could only mean something bad had happened - but not like this, never like this. And all at once, even though it's selfish to be thinking this right now, Annabeth feels useless, a failure. They'd know that Kronos had made a comeback again. Since Annabeth was already already taken once, of course Juliet would be a target.

The closest to Percy always are.

"It seems that I got a new grandchild while I was gone, rotting in Tartarus. Jackson now has a little sister-" and for someone reason the word strikes Kronos as hilarious, because he laughs for several seconds before he can continue. When he does, the humor is gone in his voice, replaced with a sudden, righteous fervor, dropping down to a level of deadly calm, speaking just loudly enough so that the camera will pick it up over the chocked noises Juliet is making.

She is trying to say something. Kronos notices this and he removes the metal bar - which Annabeth recognizes as a crowbar - from the girl throat. Juliet gasps for air, coughing raggedly before she manages to speak.

"Percy might be like Luke, but he is NOTHING like you! Let me go before I get out and kick you ancient ass!" she shouts, and Annabeth feels a sinking sensation in her stomach. If there's ever been a time that Juliet's stubbornness may get her killed, it's now. Judging from the groan that Thalia let's out she is thinking the same thing.

Kronos walks around to the side of the chair, twirling the crowbar in the other hand. The other one comes to rest on Juliet's head where it strokes the girl's hair. Juliet pulls back from the touch as if burned.

"Feisty and loyal!" the Titan crows, and then he smacks Juliet across the face with the back of his hand. It makes a sharp cracking noise, and the girl's head whips to the side.

Jason is on his feet immediately, fists raised, while Nico cry Juliet's name. Annabeth finds herself exchanging a look of utter hopeless with Thalia. Something on the huntress gaze scares her - perhaps the truth of what's happening, of what she's realizing none of them can stop - and she looks away before gently forcing Jason to sit down.

Juliet raises her head defiantly, revealing a red mark standing out on the pale skin of her cheek. Kronos regards her for a moment before addressing the camera once more.

"It's time to someone cut Jackson down to size again." he says. "It's time to remind him that he is just as vulnerable as the others. I'll do that... By taking someone from him."

Kronos backs up from the camera, and that crowbar is twirling in his hand again. Juliet tracks it's movements warily as it rests on the titan's shoulder, cocked like a baseball bat. He bands over until his face is level with Juliet's.

"Now, girly." he says, sounding for all the world that he is talking to a friend and not a hostage. "I've got a question for you. I want you think long and hard before answering."

"Will it make a difference?" Juliet drawls, voice dripping with sarcasm. Thalia hisses a word that sounds like 'stupid'.

Kronos pauses before shrugging. "Not really."

Juliet scoffs, lip curling as the titan slides an arm around her shoulders, leaning closer as if they're conspirators in some grand scheme together. "Now tell me... Why do you still fight? I have seen your fate, Fray. There is no reason to fight as a pawn of the gods."

Juliet is silent, for a moment Annabeth thinks she's going to be to stubborn to play along. But then she answers, speaking with such honesty and faithfulness that Annabeth has to clench her eyes shut against the sudden wave of anguish that washes over her.

"Because the I've got something to fight. Something that no one will take from me without a battle. None of the sides has won yet, the war is not over. And I'm going to be there until it is, until they are all safe. It doesn't matter how many fall, new heroes will always be there to carry on."

Kronos only stares at the girl. His arm drops away from Juliet's shoulders, and he tapping the crowbar against his shoulder.

"What-?" Juliet starts, but then the crowbar strikes her across the face.

Juliet isn't given a chance to recover before Kronos bashes her again, jerking her head to the other side. She lets out a pained gasp which she quickly stifles. No other sound escapes from her, even as the bar slams into her face a third, fourth, fifth time.

On the sixth blow, there's a dull crunching noise, and it's all Annabeth can do to keep herself from lashing out at something. There's no one to hit, no one to fight. All she can do is watch, and she wants to look away but her eyes are fixed on the screen, even when Juliet is obscured by Kronos' back and she can see are the girl's feet as they twist and writhe against the ropes binding her to the chair. Hearing it is enough - the leaden sound of metal hitting flesh. Juliet's determined silence. And Kronos laughter rigs above it all, shrill and piercing and maniacal.

All of them are frozen, and she really has never seen Nico so still, watching as his girlfriend is tortured before him and unable to do anything. Someone's growling with rage, at first Annabeth thinks it's Jason, but Jupiter's son is dangerously silent and she realizes that it's Thalia.

After several minutes, the crowbar begins to come back bloody.

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><p><strong>Reviews?<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

**Well, hello :D**

**Here's the new chapter, hope you all enjoy it in some twisted kind of way. **

**And like I said before, I do not own Percy Jackson, if I did Juliet would be a canon character.**

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><p>"No-" Nico says brokenly, and Annabeth reaches out to clasp his arm, because even now she needs to hold them back together, even though she can barely keep herself standing, and maybe she's clutching onto the others to hold herself together instead. She feels powerless and weak, useless, and Juliet still isn't making a sound.<p>

The beating finally ends after what seems like an eternity. Kronos steps back, revealing his handiwork to the camera with a twisted grin on his face. For a second, they're silent with shock, and then an inarticulate roar of fury leaves Jason that speaks for all of them.

The first thing that strikes Annabeth is that there's too much blood. Juliet's chin is sheathed in crimson, pouring from her broken nose and the corners of her mouth. One of her cheekbones seems misplaced, as if it's dislodged and sunken in. The blood is even in her hair, drenching it and trickling down the sides of her face. At some point, Kronos must've begun beating her elsewhere, because every faint breath that Juliet draws in produces a terrible rattling from the deep within her chest.

By some miracle, Juliet manages a small, cocky smile, and that's all Annabeth needs to know that the girl's accepted what's going to happen. It should be comforting, but that anguish tears at her stagain, and she sinks back to the couch as any strength she'd had disappears.

Juliet is going to die, and all they can do it watch.

Kronos laughs again, but this time, it's quiet, menacing in a way that makes Annabeth flinch despite herself. The crowbar twirls in his grasp a few more times, droplets of Juliet's blood flying through the air to stain the cement below them. It's during this brief respite that Annabeth begins to notice more details about the room Juliet's in - the decrepit support beams; the dirty and broken windows barely visible along the edge of the screen; the barrels of oil surrounding her, the word 'FLAMMABLE' printed in bold black letters along their rusted sides. It must be a factory or a warehouse of some sort, but there's hundreds of those in NY.

Juliet's muttering something. Kronos frowns, the crowbar stilling as he leans forward in order to hear better. He's still grinning like a madman, clearly delighted at the sight of Perseus Jackson's little sister bloody and beaten and completely at his mercy.

"_Is that the best you can do?_" Juliet says - or, at least, Annabeth thinks she says. The girl's voice is raspy and barely audible, but it's arrogant and challenging and filled with a derision so undeniably Juliet, and it stops Kronos from grinning instantly.

Kronos licks his lips and gives a breathy little laugh that should be humorous but it's more of a warning than anything else. "What was that? You'll have to speak up - I think I might've caused a lung to collapse" he says, and his singsong voice is filled with that same tone of warning, as if he's daring Juliet to insult him again.

Juliet doesn't instead, she simply spits a mouthful of blood into the titan's face, grinning victoriously even as Kronos' expression clouds with anger. The blood stands out starkly against his pale face; it trickles down his chin in a small red rivulet before he swipes it away with the back of his hand.

"Clearly, no one has taught you any manners," Kronos says disdainfully, and then he hits Juliet upside the skull with the crowbar. This time, a pained gasp escapes the girl, her head thrown backwards to expose her bruised throat. Kronos smiles exuberantly and raises the crowbar again, preparing to backhand her.

Before the crowbar can begin its downward arc, Juliet suddenly slips an ankle out of the rope binding her to the chair. She lashes out with her foot, kicking Kronos in the jaw, and Annabeth feels her chest swell with an irrepressible and unbidden surge of hope that Juliet will survive - that she'll be able to incapacitate the Titan, that she'll escape. That Percy will find her in time, that the two will arrive at Camp Half-Blood, and Juliet will be injured and shaken, but unbroken, and she'll offer some cocky remark when she sees the worry on their faces, asking what put the 'dis' in their 'content'-

But then Kronos recovers, and the crowbar clatters to the ground as he grabs ahold of Juliet's leg. There's an earsplitting noise and Juliet screams as her leg is broken or her knee is dislocated - Annabeth can't tell which, but the pain is enough either way, because it seems like minutes pass before Juliet's scream dies into an agonized moan. Annabeth's hope dies with it.

Kronos lets go of Juliet's leg, allowing it to fall and draw another chocked noise from the girl. He doesn't bother to tie it to the chair again; judging from the awkward angle it's resting at, the limp is all but unusable now.

"You've got some fight left in you!" the Titan says, with his creepy grin back on his face. "You are just as annoying as Jackson in that way, neither of you know when to just _give up_."

Juliet all but snarls at him in response, even as she breathes heavily through gritted teeth in an effort o regain semblance of composure. Sweat is dripping down the sides of her face, wrists twisting desperately in the ropes holding them back of the chair.

But as Annabeth watches, the resistance begins to drain out of Juliet. She stops straining against the bonds, stops trying to free herself, stops trying to hide the pain away when it becomes too much. Instead, she collapses back into the chair, shoulders sagging heavily while her arms fall slack. Her injured leg remains twisted awkwardly - useless. Her chin drops to rest against her chest, her hair falling to cover her face from the view of the camera.

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><p><strong>Do I deserve reviews?<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

**At first place I would like to thank findingyouagain(hey allison :D) and Miette in the Rain(thank you for pointing out that the story had typos, I fixed them already) for their awesome reviews. **

**Now let's see what shall happen next :)**

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><p>"What- when did she...?" Nico says, dismayed and trailing off uncertainly.<p>

When no one else answers, Thalia speaks; her voice is cloaked with fury but resigned, and it's the latter that is the most frightening. "She knows she can't escape anymore, not with her leg like that."

Annabeth flinches, and though she knows Thalia is right, she wishes it wasn't true. Juliet's chances of escape had been slim from the beginning; with a broken leg, it'll be all but impossible to free herself, let alone run-

"Percy."

Jason interrupts that train of though with a single word, and Annabeth clings to it desperately, knowing it's their last hope, Juliet's last hope.

Before Annabeth can say anything to give her own reassurances to them, Kronos' voice issues from the television again. The titan is standing next to the chair, arms crossed as he gazes down at Juliet with something like satisfaction on his face.

"That's more like it," he murmurs, "Not that watching you struggle isn't entertaining, dear, but we're on a tight schedule. I want you in a million pieces before someone even sets the foot in the doorway."

Juliet makes no indication that she's listening, but Kronos doesn't seem to care. He leans against the chair, arm loosely resting on the back of it. There's a small celestial bronze knife on his hand, seeming plucked from the air. It glints in the dull yellow light emanating from the dim florescent overhead as he spins it between his fingers. Its proximity to Juliet's face and throat is enough to make Annabeth anxious, even though Kronos isn't showing any intention to use it - yet.

Juliet doesn't say a thing, doesn't move at all. If it weren't for the faint rise and fall of her chest and the way breath will hitch with pain every now and then, Annabeth would think her dead.

Kronos lowers his hand, letting it slide into a pocket before he looks down at Juliet again. The tension in the air is almost palpable.

Still, Juliet remains silent, even though her shoulder have tensed. The knife twirls next to her head, coming dangerously close to nicking the skin of her cheek, she doesn't flinch. Kronos frowns at that, at it it's neither the reaction he wants nor expected.

Abruptly, he grips Juliet by the hair, yanking her head backwards. The girl doesn't protest, but she glare venomously at the titan, lips drawn back in an almost inhuman expression of hatred. Kronos smiles back nonchalantly.

The Titan chuckles darkly, and now the knife is tracing patters along Juliet's throat. It draws thin lines of blood across the pulse fluttering widely beneath the edge of the blade, and Juliet hisses softly. Kronos' grin stretches at that, though his eyes are trained on the camera as he speaks.

"Last time, I wanted to push Jackson to that place. I wanted to see what it would make him really let go." the Titan of time pauses, letting his gaze travel back to Juliet.

"But last time, I didn't pushed hard enough."

And that seems to be enough to finally illicit a response from Juliet. "It won't work." she grows. "No one will ever stop to the level of freak like you-"

Annabeth sucks in a sharp breath at the same moment Kronos freezes, the knife stifling against Juliet's throat. The fear shared between the rest of the people in the room is palpable, and it's mirrored on Juliet's visage as she recognizes her slip. In the back of her mind, Annabeth realizes this is the first she's seen Juliet look freighted since the tv suddenly turned on, and in some twisted way, she suddenly feels a rush of pride.

It's quickly forgotten when Kronos speaks in a quiet, deadly voice. There's nothing crazed about it anymore; it's menacing, calculating, and it sends a chill through Annabeth that makes her skin feel dry and cracked as if it's being pulled to taut around her bones.

"You think I'm a freak, hun?" Kronos says softly. "It's because of the scar isn't it?"

Juliet is turning her head as far away as the Kronos' grasp will let her, determinedly keeping her gaze focused on the ground, the wall, the felling - anywhere but the psychotic being beside her, that twisted grin. Kronos notices this and twitches peculiarly.

"Look at me," he demands. When Juliet doesn't comply, he wrenches Juliet's head around towards him, forcing the girl to face the twisted complexion. "LOOK AT ME!" he shouts, abruptly sounding monstrous, the words leaving him grotesquely, repulsively.

Juliet winces, and when Kronos speaks again, he sounds more in control, but the madness is still close, bubbling beneath the surface and threatening to spill over again at any moment. "You" he says, tongue flicking over his lips, "are really getting on my nerves."

The knife slowly trails a line up from Juliet's neck, traveling over her chin and discolored bruises on her cheeks.

The sight of the knife so close to Juliet's eye has Annabeth holding her breath, blood pulsating loudly in her ears. Juliet is staying as still as possible, head held rigid while her chest heaves as she inhales and exhales rapidly.

And, for the first time since all that torture started, Annabeth can finally see the brilliant changing shades of blue and green of Juliet's eyes. They're beautiful, despise the pupils are dilated and the irises are clouded with stark terror. It diminishes slightly when the knife is replaced by Kronos' thumb, however. He strokes around her eyes, letting the pad of his thumb brush along Juliet's thick lashes. Annabeth finds herself relaxing minutely.

"Oh my, what pretty eyes you have," Kronos murmurs, and then his thumb plunges into Juliet's right eyeball.

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><p><strong>What you guys think? Is it good?<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

**ELEVEN REVIEWS? Wow, thank you all! You guys have have no idea how that makes me feel the aster :D Like a lot.**

**I hope you all like this new chapter. **

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><p>A strangled cry leaves Nico, but it's drowned out by the raw scream of agony that rips itself from Juliet. She twists in the chair, trying to free herself from the titan's hold, though it only manages to drive Kronos' thumb deeper into her socket. There's a muffed popping noise, and Annabeth hears Piper make a gagging sound against the back of her hand before Juliet's shrieking renews itself.<p>

The torture continues for an inordinate amount of time. When Kronos finally withdraws his thumb, it's coated in blood and some other indiscernible fluid, the sight of which makes Annabeth's stomach lurch uncomfortably. Juliet goes limp in the chair. Tears stream from her injured eye; the other side of her face is awash in blood. She sobs raggedly, voice chocked with a pain that she makes no attempt to hide. Annabeth doubts she could do so even if she wanted to at this point.

Kronos doesn't give her a chance to rest, one hand coming to grip her by the chin while the other retrieves the knife. Juliet lets out a moan of fear, attempting to drag her head away unsuccessfully. She's kept firmly in place, the Titan's hand vice-like in its grip.

"Now, where were we?" Kronos muses, "Oh, that's right. The scar. Want to know how Castellan got these scar, Jules? Don't play coy with me, I know you're interested in it - I caught that wandering eye of yours, after all!"

He laughs maniacally at that, head thrown back until the fit passes. The unsettling calm resumes itself afterwards, and Juliet makes another terrified noise when the knife slides between her parted lips, bracing itself against the left corner of her mouth. It remains stationary for the time being.

"Well, you see, one day, that stupid mensager god gives Castellan a misson. To get one of the Golden Apples from the Garden of the Hesperides. He... Well, he failed and came back with this scar." the Titan says in a hushed, quick voice. "But, now let me tell you another story, about me. Once, I targeted Jackson, your brother - he'd been causing quite a stir lately - and kidnapped his girlfriend. He didn't like that very much. And when he came to rescue her, I... killed her. Right in front of him. He had to watch the whole thing."

Another tittering laugh leaves him, and he makes a sharp smacking noise against the inside of his own mouth. "So then, he gets really angry."

As he speaks, he begins to carve into the side of Juliet's mouth with the knife. Juliet makes a strangled noise of pain, uninjured eye rolling back in her head as she fights to stay conscious. Annabeth's faintly aware that Nico is sobbing, trying to muffle himself against his palm. She tightens her hand resting on the son of Hades' shoulder, but Nico doesn't seem to register it at all, gaze fixated on the horrific sight of the blade sawing through the flesh of Juliet's cheek with sharp, jerky movements.

"And the whole time he's glaring murderously at me, I can't stop laughing - shhh, shhh, easy now, easy - because he just looks so serious!" Kronos exclaims, switching the knife to the other side and beginning to cut it up as well. Juliet's choking quietly on the blood draining down her throat, but the titan doesn't seem to notice. "I guess I felt guilty about it afterwards, but I don't think I am now."

Kronos chuckles to himself and withdraws the knife from Juliet's mouth. The girl is shaking visibly, clearly from both fear and pain. Her face is a bloody mess, the faux grin the Titan carved standing out gruesomely amidst the garnet liquid. Some of it has splattered over Kronos' pale face; he wipes it off arbitrarily with his sleeve after straightening up.

"Well, then, kiddo," he says in the exhausted tone of a long-suffering parent, "I hate to cut this short, but it's time I hit the road. Places to go, people to see, you know how it is! It's been fun though, right?"

The only answer he receives is a strained groan, but that seems to be good enough for him. "Maybe a little more for me than you, but that's just a guess," Kronos drawls, using the tattered edge of Juliet's t-shirt to clean off the knife. He slips it into his sleeve before before putting his coat back on. "Now, be a good girl, and try not to get into any trouble while I'm away. Oh, and also-,"

He pauses in the process of fixing his cufflinks, darkened eyes flickering to the camera as that horrible grin stretches.

"Please tell Jackson I said... hello."

Kronos erupts into deranged laughter, and then he's turning on his heel, coat swirling about him as he strides off into the shadows. A metallic clang rings throughout the warehouse as he knocks over what can only be one of the barrels of gasoline; it's followed by the gurgling sound of liquid draining onto the cement. A moment later, a rectangle of light falls over Juliet as the Titan opens the door. It slams shut behind him, but his laughter is still audible long after he vanishes from sight, leaving Juliet in the darkness.

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><p><strong>Before I leave, I would like to say:<strong>

**It's not over yet *le Joker laugh***


	7. Chapter 7

**Sorry for taking too long to post this :\ I've been having a few problems at school and stuff. I'm trying to sort things out yet, but things are getting better now. And thank you all for the feedback, it's amazing how a six chapter story could get so much faves :D**

**So... I have one thing to declare.**

**This is will probably be the final chapter. Unless... you guys want an aftermatch or an alternative ending or BOTH! **

**I hope you enjoy the 'final' part of The Fall of Fray. **

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><p>Jason breaks the tense silence that's settled over them. "That's it?" he asks, but he doesn't sound disappointed - only relieved.<p>

It's a relief that Annabeth shares, because somehow, miraculously, and despite his threats, Kronos left Juliet alive. Maimed, but alive nonetheless. Percy should be there any second, and while the Titan will be long gone by then, he'll be able to bring Juliet home where she'll be safe, and protected, and cared for-

But as much as she wants to believe that, something isn't right.

Only a few seconds pass after the door slams before Juliet begins fighting out of her bonds. Her head is lolling as she shifts her body from side to side, working at the ropes binding her hands together, but she doesn't hesitate, hurrying to free herself as quickly as she can.

After a minute of struggling, she succeeds in sliding her arms over the back of the chair, hissing sharply as her shoulders creak with the effort. The foot still bound to the chair leg twists out of the ropes easily enough; the skin around her ankle has been scraped raw. Gritting her teeth, Juliet slips her arms underneath herself, ducking them under her uninjured leg with an almost unconscious flexibility. The broken leg proves to be more of a challenge, but she maneuvers it through her arms, gasping with pain as she does so but never faltering in the slightest.

"She's gonna make it," Nico says, but to Annabeth's ears, the statement lacks any sort of conviction. It's nothing more than a desperate plea.

After catching her breath as best she can, Juliet carefully tries to stand. She sways dangerously, grunting with exertion as she attempts to retain her balance. She only manages to take a few steps before her broken leg shudders violently under her weight and then gives out, sending her sprawling.

Thalia inhales sharply as she knocks over the camera, but by some miracle, it doesn't break. It lands on its side, keeping Juliet in the frame as she falls to the ground and into the steadily growing pool of gasoline. She coughs, spluttering around the liquid as it gets in her mouth - when it hits the lacerations, she chokes back an anguished sob.

"Don't give up," Annabeth whispers. She's not sure if she's talking to Juliet or herself. "You can do this."

Another thirty seconds pass before Juliet pushes herself up on her elbows and starts to drag herself in the direction Kronos had gone, subsequently moving towards the camera. She's breathing raggedly now; the rattling coming from her chest is even more pronounced than it had been initially.

She barely crosses a few feet before a rigid tremor runs through her body and she retches, blood spilling from her tattered lips, splattering to the floor where it mixes with the gasoline. Her arms buckle beneath her, and she collapses in front of the camera, close enough that Annabeth can make out the individual slices in the gashes around her mouth.

No one says anything, and it's in this silence that Annabeth hears the faint ticking noise coming from deep within the warehouse. It's quickening even as she listens, each tick occurring more frequently than the last.

"A bomb." Thalia says flatly, as if she expected this. "There's a bomb."

Nico starts forward. "But the gasoline-," he chokes out, as if he can't bring himself to finish the sentence.

Piper lets out a terrified gasp, but Jason hushes her. Annabeth knows why immediately, because there's suddenly another sound rising in the distance - the sound of someone yelling Juliet's name, saying he's coming, saying that it will be alright.

Lies.

Because he's not going to reach her in time.

Juliet appears to hear it, too, but her expression isn't one of relief. Instead, the resignation has surfaced once more, her visage emotionless save for the look of dull acceptance. She weakly opens her one good eye, fixing it on the camera.

It takes her several attempts, but she's eventually able to speak. Her voice is soft and slurred, having to talk around the wounds in her mouth. Somehow, though, she manages a small smile, wincing as she does so.

_"He-Hey, Seaweed Brain. Th-This isn't your... fau-fault."_

A resounding click is heard from somewhere behind her, followed by a suppressed explosion, and then flames consume the screen as the gasoline ignites.

For a terrible second, they can hear Juliet screaming in agony as she catches fire, and then everything goes black as the TV goes off once more.

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><p><strong>I feel so stupid right now gosh. I cried writing this. <strong>

**But, I wanted to thank you all who reviewed and faved this story, oh hell, even who just read it! **

**If you want the aftermatch or an alternative ending, tell me in your review!**


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